Patches

“ For a little way above the dam the waters lay still and deep, with patches of long mosses, vines and rushes, waving in its quiet clearness—forming shadowy dens for lusty trout, while the open places—shining fields and lanes—reflected, as a mirror, the steep green-clad bluff, and the trees that bent far over until their drooping branches touched the gleaming surface. ”

“ On the back of the legs there were large patches nearly covering the entire area, but not much in front. It was more distinctly red here than elsewhere, and there was very little thickening. There were only one or two patches on the left thigh, but a dozen or more on the left. The trunk still remained free. The initial patch was on the right wrist seven and a half years previously, but had disappeared. Some few fresh ones still developed occasionally. He was told to continue the salicin and rub on 10 per cent. vasogen iodine. ”

“ Generally, the patches come out very gradually and in small numbers and, in the main, symmetrically, but as the older patches never go away spontaneously, while fresh ones are continually evoluting at short or long 120intervals, large areas are involved, and in the course of years (in one case, months) the whole trunk and limbs are crowded with lesions, though there are always spaces of normal skin intervening, or sometimes completely enclosed by the diseased process, where the original patches have coalesced. ”

“ From the brow of the hill, where the man had sat that afternoon when, for the first time, he faced Life and knew that he was a man, the fields from which the ripened grain had been cut lay in the distance, great bars and blocks and patches of golden yellow, among the still green pastures and meadows and the soft brown strips of the fall plowing. ”

“ The majority of the single patches range from one to three inches in their longest diameter; the borders are not very well-defined nor raised above the rest, but there is no difficulty in discerning the morbid from the healthy skin. They are not raised above the surface, but may be rather deep in the cutis. Infiltration can often be distinctly felt when the patch is pinched up in comparison with the adjoining healthy tissues, but in the more recent and smaller patches it is imperceptible, and occasionally they look like mere stains. ”

“ Head with a white patch extending on to the nose from the inner corner of the eye on each side; two white cheek-spots and sometimes a pale patch above the eye; chin and rim of the upper lip white; two white patches on the throat, one at its upper, the other at its lower end. ”

“ The patches grow slowly, are milky or dead white, smooth, non-elevated, and of rounded outline; the bordering skin is darker than normal, showing increased pigmentation. Several contiguous spots may coalesce and form a large, irregularly-shaped patch. Hair growing on the involved skin may or may not be blanched. ”

“ The only female case, a lady aged 47 years, resembled the other cases in its gradual evolution, long duration, absence of itching, in the persistence of the old patches with continual evolution of new ones, in its limitation to the covered parts, and in the general good health of the patient. ”

“ Besides, Jerry may be back before me and she would be anxious if you were not here."
"All right, Tommy. Come, Ming Soy."
Benson could get no satisfaction from the man in charge of the corral. He questioned him as he watched him shift the saddle from Soapy to a powerful black. Slowman only knew that Mrs. Courtlandt came for Patches at about two o'clock. She was humming and laughing softly to herself as she led him off, quite as though she had heard some good news—or—or was up to some mischief; women were like that, when they had something up their sleeves, he'd noticed. ”

“ Instead of answering the question, however, the guide called the boys to him.
"I'm going to teach you how to make beds in the mountains," he said. "We have not tried to make any like them yet——"
"Beds? I don't see any beds to make," objected Chunky. "Where are they?"
"Get your hatchets and I'll show you," grinned Lige. "We have to discover a good many things when we are roughing it, you know."
Fetching their hatchets from the saddle bags, the boys cut great armfuls of pine boughs, all hands making two trips to camp and back in order to carry enough for the purpose. ”

“ What are we going to do, Professor?"
"Ask the guide. He knows everything. He's the original wizard," laughed the German. "What do you think about it, Lige?"
"I might as well tell you all now—the pack train undoubtedly is lost in the mountains. We probably shall see nothing of Jose nor the pack train until some time to-morrow."
"Yes; but what are we going to do?" demanded Walter. "Here we are, without a thing to eat, or a place to sleep."
"We have the pine beds," answered Tad. "That's a place to sleep, anyway."
"But we can't eat the beds," jeered Chunky. ”

“ Patching begged to explain to the jury, and to the public through the reporters (who did not take down a word of the explanation) , that he had painted the panorama of Africa to oblige his friend, "Wesley Tiffles. It was hardly necessary for him to say, in this community, that he was more at home among higher walks of Art.
"Are you a sign painter, Mr. Patching?" asked the coroner. "No, sir; I am not," said Patching, with dignified contempt.
"Perhaps you're a carriage painter, then? Them's the fellers for picturin'. The woman and flowers on the Bully Boys' hose carriage wos well done. ”

“ Patching.—When a large hole or thin place makes its appearance, it must be mended by a patch, matching exactly in texture and pattern. The fresh piece should, if possible, be slightly worn, to prevent a too great strain on the old, causing the tear to start afresh. ”

“ The guide bounded up, starting on a run for the spot where Chunky's wail had been heard. The others were not far behind.
They saw the red, perspiring face of the fat boy above a clump of grass, his yells for help continuing, unabated.
"What is it?" shouted the guide.
"I've got it, Santa Claus! I've got it!"
"Got what?" roared the Professor.
"The stick!—I mean it's got me. Help! Help!"
Stacy was wrestling about as if engaged in combat with some enemy. They could not imagine what had gone wrong—what had caused his sudden cries of alarm.
"It's the divining rod!" called the guide. ”

“ The hounds, by this time, had obtained quite a lead on them, though the boys still could hear their hoarse voices.
"They are following the ridge yet," decided Lige. "The fellow ought to cross over pretty soon. I think if we will turn to the left, here, and climb the mountain, we may be able to save some distance. But don't speak to the dogs if they pass anywhere near you. It might throw them off the scent." ”

“ By Lige's direction, the boys squatted down about a flat rock, after which the guide proceeded to carve the rabbits with his hunting-knife, seasoning the pieces with salt and pepper, yet doing all with tantalizing deliberation.
The boys looked on expectantly.
"Much as I need money, I wouldn't take four dollars and a half for my appetite at this very moment," declared Ned Rector, earnestly.
"It can't beat mine, fellows," laughed Walter. "I tell you, there's nothing like falling off a mountain to give a chap a full-grown hankering for real food." ”

“ We have had enough trouble already. I have not the least doubt that a resourceful young man like yourself could take care of himself under almost any conditions. But I do not dare take the risk. And, besides, a day's fast will do you all good. I remember when I was an officer in the German army——"
"Professor, may we go out and follow the trail of Chunky's pussy cat?" interrupted Walter. "Ned has found the trail, and says he can follow it by the blood spots. Perhaps we'll find the animal dead near by, and the skin would be a fine trophy of our hunt in the Rockies." ”

“ The boys laughed and nodded their heads in approval.
"What we need is a rope, not more help. Don't you think so?"
"Yes, yes. I should have put it that way myself only—"
"Why not send the Indian for a rope?" suggested Chunky. "I would go myself if I knew the way."
"No, you'd fall in somewhere," chuckled Ned.
"And the Indian probably would forget to come back," added Walter.
"Altogether we are in a fix."
"I think Master Stacy's suggestion is the most practicable of all," decided the Professor.
"Yes, but where could you send Eagle-eye?" asked Ned. ”

“ It was no place for tenderfeet."
"You—you call me a tenderfoot?" snapped Ned, starting for him.
"Stop quarreling, you two!" commanded Tad. "We've had all the fighting we want for one night. Get busy and help strike this camp. Guess none of this outfit could truthfully be called a tenderfoot. We've all had our share of hard knocks, and we'll have enough to look back to and think about when we get home and have time to go over our experiences together this winter." ”

“ Tad lowered the muzzle of his smoking weapon, gazing in keen satisfaction at the victim of his successful shot.
"Good shot!" glowed Lige. "It's a cat." Yet, before he could dismount, the hounds had wrenched themselves free and pounced upon the body of the dead bob-cat. With savage growls they tore the sleek hide into ribbons, on one side, and were devouring the flesh of the animal ravenously.
The hide was ruined.
"Let them alone!" ordered Lige. "That's the only fun they get out of the game. ”

“ They were aroused an hour later by the most terrifying roar they had ever listened to.
“What’s the matter?” cried Tad, springing from his tent, trying to pierce the darkness with his gaze.
“Is–is the world coming to an end?” yelled Ned.
“I guess the mountain is falling down,” shouted Stacy.
“Guide, guide!” roared the Professor.
Anvik, drawing his blanket still more closely about him, stepped over and threw some fresh sticks on the fire. The roaring by this time had become a thunderous, crashing noise that fairly deafened them. One had to shout to make himself heard. ”

“ That is one of the dogs up there. Probably Mustard," said the guide.
"What's that? Dogs climb trees?" demanded Chunky, laughing uproariously.
"Keep still! Do you want to spoil our fun?" growled Ned.
"The idea! Dogs climb trees!" And Chunky Brown went off into a paroxysm of silent mirth, his rotund body convulsed with merriment.
"Mustard can climb a tree as well as you can, if not better," answered
Lige sharply. "Use your eyes, and you will see for yourself. That is
one of the dogs that you see in the tree there—not a cougar. Ah!
There goes the other one!" he cried, pointing with his rifle. ”

“ Turn the seam edges of both hole and patch toward the wrong side on the line of the tacks and baste together. Then with small overhand stitches sew the patch in securely, being careful during the whole proceeding to keep the warp and woof threads of the material straight at the joining edges. Illustrations 360 and 361 show both sides of the patch after it has been well pressed.
Clothing, household linens, etc., should be darned or mended at the first sign of wear. Immediate attention often saves actual holes by reenforcing worn places, and the amount of mending will be perceptibly reduced. ”

“ For several rods Kringle ran along the faint trail that Tad and Stacy had left, or rather, that the fire had left after passing over it.
"They beat their way out here. We may find them later. Come on!"
Again Ned and the guide dashed away, both keeping their gaze on the smoking prairie about them. The smoke now was almost more than they could bear.
"Do—do you think they are alive?" asked Ned unsteadily.
"So far. If they are not, it's not their fault. The Professor is right. Those boys have pluck enough to pull them through, but sometimes pluck alone will not do it. ”

“ At first the boys glanced at the bundle curiously, then with more interest as it began to assume shape and form to their eyes.
"What—-what——" stammered Tad.
Stacy, whose eyes were wide open, was the first to recognize the articles, and as he did so, Lige dumped them on the ground.
"Bows and arrows," cried the boys, performing a grotesque war dance about the weapons.
"We'll be real Indians now, won't we?" chortled Chunky.
"They are only playthings," sniffed Ned. "What good are they when we have real rifles?"
"You'll find these bows and arrows real enough," answered the guide. ”

“ Of course one could not work or live constantly in one or two gowns and look fresh, but one could look and be clean and—and whole. A patch is not pretty I admit, but it is a decided improvement upon a bare elbow. ”

“ Everybody laughed at Chunky's objection.
"You will eat this strap when you see it," answered Stallings, taking a jug from the hands of the Chinaman and pouring some of its contents over the cakes on his plate.
"What is it!" asked Ned Rector.
"Molasses. It's what we call black strap. Help yourselves. Never mind the gopher there. He never eats black straps for breakfast," the foreman jeered.
"Here, I want some of that," demanded Stacy, half-rising and reaching for the jug. "My, but it's good!" he decided with his mouth full.
"That's all right," answered Walter. ”

“ But the sewing was good practice for you, Phœbe. Patchwork—seems to me all our life is patchwork: a little here and a little there; one color now, then another; one shape first, then another shape fitted in; and when it is all joined it will be beautiful if we keep the parts straight and the colors and shapes right. It can be a very beautiful rising sun or an equally pretty flower basket, or it can be just a crazy quilt with little of the beautiful about it. ”